Brazos H S, Waco TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Brazos H S

Brazos High School is an alternative high school in Waco serving grades nine through twelve. It is a small school with an enrollment made up predominantly of Black and Hispanic students, almost all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body skews heavily toward upper grades, with most students in the tenth and eleventh grades.

State testing data from this school is sparse and dated. The available results, from 2015 and 2016, show proficiency rates well below what would be typical. In English language arts, about a third of tested eighth-grade students met the proficiency standard. In science and social studies, only a small handful of the students tested in the same period met grade-level expectations. A math assessment from 2017 showed none of the students tested meeting proficiency. These numbers reflect the very small cohorts taking these assessments; the school tested only a handful of students per subject in these years. Importantly, as an alternative school, Brazos likely serves students with distinct needs or circumstances than a conventional high school, and the assessment data may not tell the full story of the school's role and mission. No graduation rate was available, nor were recent academic trends. A parent may want to reach out directly to the school to understand what programs or supports it offers and how it measures student progress.

Brazos sits in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts across McLennan County in terms of overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Again, this ranking should be interpreted with care given that alternative schools often work with student populations that differ significantly from traditional high schools.

Waco itself is in the midst of a large-scale downtown redevelopment, publicly reported as a major initiative led by the City of Waco and Hunt Development Group as master developer. The project centers on a new town center and convention center, structured parking, mixed-use development with retail and residential space, and a reconstructed public plaza and waterway. Private developers have already completed dozens of new construction and adaptive reuse projects. The redevelopment signals long-term investment in the city, though the immediate footprint and pace will shape how it affects housing and community character over the coming years.

Waco ISD approved a major building bond in 2021, financing reconstruction of Waco High and three middle schools and renovation of another elementary school. Those projects have been phased in through 2025, giving the district new facilities alongside a property tax increase that families had to weigh. The district also adopted a centralized curriculum model and a data-driven instruction framework across all schools, standardizing what students learn in math and English. In 2026, the district placed two of its elementary schools, South Waco and Dean Highland, under an outside charter operator, Third Future Schools, to avert state takeover after repeated low accountability ratings. Students at those schools now have longer school days, an extended school year, and different math and English curricula under new staff. These shifts represent a district working through significant structural changes to raise achievement and avoid state intervention.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

20-24%Cohort of 165 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,779 schools plotted. 59 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 18% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 35% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 810%

School 10% · District 22% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 12% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

This schoolWACO ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.